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WAC BASKETBALL: Aggies women eager to prove 2015 was no fluke

LAS CRUCES — So for this season, New Mexico State women's basketball coach Mark Trakh has dealt with a player who was wrongfully ruled academically ineligible, and there is an illness that coaches and players have been fighting off for the past week

LAS CRUCES — So far this season, New Mexico State women's basketball coach Mark Trakh has dealt with a player who was ruled academically ineligible (Moriah Mack) for the first semester at the fault of the university, a recent nightmarish travel day to the East Coast for a holiday tournament and an illness that coaches and players have been fighting off for the past week.

Complacency entering Western Athletic Conference play isn't among the issues Trakh is worried about.

"The seniors were here two years ago when they lost 20 games," said Trakh, whose team looks to repeat as WAC regular season and WAC Tournament champions. "The upperclassmen keep everyone motivated. We have upperclassmen that are good leaders and lower-classmen who listen. Two years ago, this junior class had no upperclassmen, so they had to mature on their own."

NMSU went 13-1 in league play last year, and the Aggies have picked up where they left off with an 11-3 record entering the first weekend of conference play with games against Utah Valley (Thursday at 7 p.m.) and Grand Canyon (Saturday at 2 p.m.) at the Pan American Center.

"I think we have a target on us, especially since we went from below .500 to almost undefeated in conference," said Aggies senior guard Sasha Weber, who leads the Aggies in scoring with 12.4 points per game. "Since it changed so quickly, people are going to think it's a fluke and we are using that as momentum going into conference play."

The Aggies beat rival New Mexico twice and had close losses to Arizona and UTEP.

"We were down to UTEP by a lot, and losing to UNM in the second game, so I think our resiliency is there," Weber said. "Rarely will you see this team give up."

NMSU continues rely on its offense, but the Aggies have proven to be among the league's top defensive teams.

The Aggies are second in the WAC in defensive field goal percentage (38.2 percent) and force 21 turnovers per game with a league best 11 steals per game.

"Our press is coming together and starting to look like we did last year," Weber said. "We have had a few rough games offensively and to still win just means our defense is doing well."

The Aggies swept both Utah Valley and Grand Canyon last year but all four games were competitive.

"When it comes down to the last four minutes, our experience is huge just knowing situations and knowing how to react and handle the pressure at the end," Weber said. "Just getting a taste of the NCAA Tournament last year was good for our confidence."

Utah Valley is 7-8 in non-conference play and Grand Canyon is 8-8.

"The first weekend is going to be tough with two well coached teams who want to pick up apart with their offense," Trakh said. "We are going to find out how good we are right away."

Although the Aggies are a clear favorite entering league play, Weber and the other veterans aren't looking past the first weekend.

"We know that we have a target so we have to get off to a good start," Weber said. "That is the difference for us is we are playing to win and not to lose."

Sports Editor Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.